I love how Kea is a small team with big clients. We are a very collaborative group with an approach that helps to bring the best out of each other and we work with many of the biggest and most interesting clients in the industry. On top of this, we work with firms across the investment landscape, and as every member of the research team is generalist, we get to work with clients from Venture Capital firms to Mega-Cap Private Equity firms.
KEA
How has your education influenced your time at Kea?
OPW
I come from a background where I have had a flavour of finance and investing experience before starting at Kea. Having studied economics with a specialisation in finance, I feel that I benefit a lot from being able to understand many of the technical aspects of the work our clients and candidates do which helps me to speak to clients and candidates on their level and understand what they do in more detail.
KEA
What does it take to be successful in your role?
OPW
Strong interpersonal skills. We deal with very impressive people on a daily basis, so it takes confidence to have candid conversations, and an ability to understand everyone’s unique situation and adapt accordingly. As supply exceeds demand for each opportunity, it's important to have conviction and be rigorous in our evaluations to provide the best advice to our clients.
KEA
What do you enjoy about the role?
OPW
I enjoy the human aspect most of all. Every candidate is unique, with a unique background and story that requires a case-by-case approach and means you never face the exact same situation twice. It often means that we have to think on our feet and remain adaptable, but that variety makes the role very interesting.
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The main thing I enjoy about the role is the variety.Each day is different, both in the range of tasks I am carrying out and in the people I interact with. There is always something new to do or something different to prioritise, and this ensures that there are always opportunities for learning and facing fresh challenges.
Kea Values
Kea’s value of ‘Drive to Improve’ speaks to me most of all. I believe in never being complacent with the way things are, but instead striving to improve and raise the bar. I feel that Kea champions this, particularly through the extra time we put into all relationships to take them beyond a transactional level.
Day-to-day
I lead our product for lateral candidates at the junior level, focusing on helping those already on the buyside make their next move. This often takes the form of calls and meetings to get to know our candidates better and combines both a research aspect as well as us providing long term career advice. Often the goal for more senior candidates who have already transitioned into investing, is for the next move to be their last, so our guidance over an extended period assists in pinpointing exactly how we can be most helpful.